


The Floor of the Grocery Store

by bipatootie



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Grocery Store, Awkward Castiel (Supernatural), First Dates, First Kiss, First Meetings, Fluff, M/M, Schmoop, this is disgustingly cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-07
Updated: 2017-09-12
Packaged: 2018-10-29 05:23:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,807
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10847328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bipatootie/pseuds/bipatootie
Summary: Unfortunately, since it was so late and the store had seemed empty, Castiel hadn’t deemed it necessary to open his eyes all the way. In hindsight, perhaps he should’ve done that – maybe then he would’ve seen the guy coming out of the aisle before he ran straight into him.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first fic I've ever written, so constructive criticism is welcome. Also, I have an idea for a second chapter so if you liked this, please leave a comment below saying that you'd want a continuation.  
> Thank you to my friend who beta-read this thing.  
> Otherwise, enjoy :)

Castiel was reasonably sure he had never been so tired in his entire life.

When he was still living with his parents and studying at high school, he had a pretty strict daily routine and he mostly finished his homework long before it had to be handed in. So he never really had to deal with all-nighters or running purely on adrenaline and espressos.

Those days had passed though, and Castiel was a proud student of Kansas State University. He had started out with a similar routine to his high school one, doing all his work early. Slowly, though, he started to realize his parents weren’t there to check on all the work he’d done during the day, and the relaxation crept in. Castiel enjoyed his newfound freedom, doing whatever the hell he wanted after classes instead of more studying.

This, of course, came with a price, one Castiel only realized when he had several papers to hand in the next week and he had barely started any of them. And so started his first journey of what seemed like endless typing and bottomless exhaustion that could only be staved off with copious amounts of really strong coffee.

Incidentally, the night before the first paper had to be submitted he didn’t have time to stop for long. So, when he tried to make more coffee and discovered he had run out, he couldn’t contemplate going to bed and buying the coffee the next day. Bleary-eyed and cursing procrastination, Castiel put on a hoodie, googled the nearest 24/7 grocery store and set out on his quest.

The night air turned out to be refreshing, so by the time he reached the grocery store, he felt a little better about existing. Unfortunately, since it was so late and the store had seemed empty, Castiel hadn’t deemed it necessary to open his eyes all the way. In hindsight, perhaps he should’ve done that – maybe then he would’ve seen the guy coming out of the aisle _before_ he ran straight into him.

Before that night, Castiel thought that surely it takes a lot of speed and/or strength to knock someone over when running into them. However, he was proved wrong – for whatever reason, the guy squeaked, toppled over and, probably fueled by some reflex, grabbed onto Castiel and pulled him down with him.

So, within a few seconds, Castiel had not only managed to run into some innocent person, but had also ended up on top of this guy. An awkward situation was just what he needed.

Because Castiel was really smart, his brain had apparently decided that the best course of action in such a situation was indeed not to get up and apologize, but to freeze and stay propped up on top of the stranger. Being this close to him, Castiel noticed several Very Important Things: firstly, the stranger had a smattering of light freckles across his nose and cheeks. Secondly, he had plush pink lips that breathed out little puffs of warmth that scattered across Castiel’s cheeks. The third Very Important Thing was that he had gorgeous green eyes that somehow looked mesmerizing even under the bad lighting of the grocery store. Castiel wondered what they looked like in a proper environment.

Those same green eyes were currently looking into his own. Just looking – the stranger didn’t yell, or complain, or push him off. They stayed like that, just looking, for a moment. Then, the stranger’s lips curled up in a small smirk and he shattered the silence:

‘’Not that this isn’t great, but if you’re gonna lie on top of me, let’s do it somewhere a bit comfier.’’

Something clicked in Castiel’s head, and his brain returned to full working capacity. He scrambled up, already feeling his face flame, and held his hand out to the guy.

‘’I’m _so_ sorry, are you okay? I should’ve watched where I was going, I’m really sorry, I just…’’

‘’Woah, dude, slow down,’’ the stranger chuckled. ‘’I didn’t break anything and, as far as I can tell, neither did you. No harm done.’’

‘’Oh, okay then.’’

An awkward silence ensued. _This is where you do a polite nod thing and move on,_ Castiel told himself. He then nodded and moved into the aisle to get the coffee. Apparently the stranger hadn’t gotten the memo, though, because out of the corner of his eye Castiel could see him following.

‘’So, what’s your reason for being here?’’

Castiel frowned. Also, he definitely didn’t feel jitters in his stomach. Nope.

‘’I would’ve thought grocery stores are kind of self-explanatory.’’

‘’Not like that, man… just… usually people don’t just go grocery shopping at,’’ he checked his phone,’’ 3:27 AM. So, what was it for you that couldn’t wait?’’

‘’I have very little time to finish the papers I have to hand in this week, and I need lots of caffeine for that. ‘’

The stranger chuckled. Castiel, having now gotten his coffee, should really be going to pay for it now, but the guy had little wrinkles around his eyes when he smiled. He couldn’t just leave it like that.

‘’What about you?’’ Castiel asked, because surely he could ask in return.

‘’Couldn’t sleep, so I came to get my sleepless night remedy.’’ The stranger held up his package, which looked to be a piece of pie. ‘’They don’t make it great here but I’ll take what I can get.’’

Castiel didn’t know how to reply to that, so he didn’t. _Say something, anything_ , his brain very helpfully said. The stranger solved his frustration by holding out his hand.

‘’I’m Dean. Dean Winchester.’’

‘’Castiel Novak.’’ Dean’s hand was warm and strong, and Castiel really did not want to let go of it. He gave himself a slightly prolonged moment of enjoying it and then untangled their hands.

‘’If you don’t mind me asking, why couldn’t you sleep?’’ _Was that too much? Please tell me it wasn’t too much._ They moved towards the cashier and placed their items on the belt. The stranger smiled wistfully.

‘’It’s my little brother, Sam. He’s going through some stuff and I worry about him. I mean, he’ll be okay, I just wish I could help him more.’’

‘’I’m sorry to hear that. I’m sure you’re doing good. I do not know what your brother is experiencing, but if you are as close as it sounds, your support means a lot to him.’’ Then, because the stranger was looking at him strangely, ‘’What?’’

‘’Nothing, just… doesn’t matter.’’

Castiel had a feeling it _did_ matter, but he wasn’t gonna push it. By then, they had paid for their groceries and walking towards the door. After a moment of fumbling, they realized they were both going the same way.

‘’Let’s walk together,’’ Dean suggested, ’’for…safety. It’s late, you never know who’s around.’’ Castiel thought it was a great argument. It would definitely be better walking with Dean. They set off into the quiet street with a comfortable silence settling over them. When they neared KSU, it became apparent that they both studied there, but didn’t live in the same dorm. Dean insisted on walking Castiel to his door, just to be sure. There was a little bit more fumbling, and Castiel cursed his lack of people skills. There was a really hot, sweet, smart (Castiel’s eyes had grown wide when Dean had casually mentioned his major – engineering) guy right in front of him, and he had no clue how to smoothly ask for his number or ask him out. Anything, really.

‘’ Listen, Cas, I, uh…’’ Dean wasn’t really looking at him,’’ I know we just met and all, but you-seem-really-great-and-I’d-love-to-take-you-out-sometime.’’

At first Castiel wasn’t sure what Dean had just said, but he replayed the sentence in his mind and what seemed like a swarm of moths appeared in his stomach. Castiel will later blame it on them that he swept towards Dean and kissed him right on the lips. That didn’t seem to help, though, because after a second of kissing a surprised Dean, he was being wrapped into the arms of a very enthusiastic one.

It may have gone on for a while, and it could’ve gone on for longer if it wasn’t for Castiel’s impending deadline. He reluctantly pulled away and right before him was a grinning Dean. It was indeed a very nice sight.

‘’I’ll take that as a yes, then?’’

Castiel hummed and pecked Dean on the corner of the mouth. It was truly a tragedy that he had to leave. They exchanged numbers and goodbyes, and the elated boy climbed his stairs to finish his paper.

He wasn’t sure he really needed the coffee, though. For some reason, Cas wasn’t that tired anymore.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SORRY, OKAY?? I'm not perfect. Sometimes when I say I'll post the chapter in June, I really mean September. I did not mean for this to happen, you can scream at me in the comments if you like. I'm trying to make up for it though - this chapter is a bit longer than the previous one, and way fluffier. Please forgive any mistakes in the text - although I've been good at English since I was a kid and pretty much consider myself bilingual, it's still not my native language. Enjoy!

Castiel was not freaking out. Nope.

Okay, fine, so maybe he was freaking out but can you blame him? His only dating experience was kissing his prom date Meg and her getting disappointed when Castiel didn’t seem to want it to go further. She had been nice about it, but it had still been pretty awkward.

And now he’s supposed to go on a date with a cute boy and he cannot, for the life of him,  _ figure out what to wear. _

_ This was supposed to be a girl problem _ , Castiel thought while staring at the several pairs of pants laid out on his bed. On one hand, he wanted to wear the tight ones because his butt looked good in them. But they weren’t as fancy as the other ones. How fancy did he have to dress??

_ Calm down before you sweat all over every shirt you own _ , a stern voice in his head said. Castiel took some deep breaths and decided to check the texts from Dean again for clues.

**_*Two days earlier*_ **

Castiel, having handed in all his papers, was enjoying a well-earned marathon of  _ Brooklyn Nine Nine  _ when his phone buzzed. He paused it to check and could’ve sworn his heart skipped a beat when he saw the text was from Dean.

He had been unsure how to start the conversation, not knowing what to say or if Dean was still even interested, but apparently Mr. Green Eyes had beat him to it. He opened the text.

**Dean:** heya cas

**Cas:** Hello, Dean. 

**Dean:** you still up for that date?

Castiel felt like he needed some water, or possibly a big ass fan, but there was no way he was leaving this conversation. Okay, how much enthusiasm can you show without sounding weird?

**Cas:** Very much so. What did you have in mind?

**Dean:** i was thinking a classic dinner date. what do you think?

**Cas:** That sounds great. Where should we go?

**Dean:** leave that to me ;) 

_ If him winking in text leaves this much of an effect on me, what would it be like in real life?? _

**Dean:** dress nice. although, with how gorgeous you are, probably doesnt matter that much ;)

Castiel did not know how to deal with such information other than hiding half his face under the blanket and squealing.  _ Oh my God, he’s flirting with me. I should probably flirt back. How the hell do you flirt? _

**Cas:** Speak for yourself. 

_ Well, I have no idea if that was acceptable, but at least it’s better than nothing, right? _

It turned out to be good enough as Dean didn’t seem reluctant to set their date to Saturday evening. 

 

**_*Present day*_ **

After extensively researching his conversation with Dean and the internet, Castiel decided to go with the tighter pants, because wikiHow said it was important to be confident with your date outfit.  He was in the middle of trying to tame his hair when a few knocks rapped against the door. Castiel’s heart jumped in his chest but he ignored it and opened the door. There stood a smiling Dean, dressed in a white button up and black pants. The top buttons of his shirt were undone, his hair mussed up and eyes still  _ very _ green. Castiel was certain he wouldn’t be able to concentrate on his studies ever again.

‘’Hey,’’ Dean said with a half-smile. He leaned in and kissed his blue-eyed date – not on the lips, but not quite on the cheek, either, as if he wasn’t sure which option was better. 

‘’Hello,’’ it sounded a bit weak but Cas didn’t care as he was a bit preoccupied with smiling like an idiot. 

‘’You ready to go?’’ came the question. He was not, in fact. The problem was solved by putting on his shoes and checking that he had taken his phone and wallet. After that, they went downstairs and Dean led Cas to a black muscle car.

“Cas, meet Baby. Baby, this is Cas.”

“You call your car Baby?”

“Yup. She’s my treasure. My dad gave her to me.” Dean smiled and caressed the car’s roof.

“Should I be jealous?” Cas teased.

“Oh, yeah, absolutely.”

Cas snorted and climbed into the car along with Dean. The ride to the restaurant was a bit quiet, both of them wanting to talk but neither knowing how to start the conversation. Cas had mixed emotions when they reached the restaurant – on one hand, he was relieved the awkward car ride was over. On the other, they were at Chez Moulin, a  _ very _ fancy French restaurant. Castiel wasn’t very fond of fancy places – he never knew how to act and what to eat; it was always a very anxious thing when his parents tried to treat him for his birthday, so he just tried to avoid those kinds of restaurants altogether.

Oh God, what if Dean loved this stuff??  _ Maybe he’s a really fancy person and is going to judge me for being bad at these things,  _ Castiel panicked.

He tried to tone it down while they went inside and were seated at a table with  _ way  _ too many forks and knives. By the time their waiter came by with menus, Cas had noticed that he and Dean were a tad underdressed – most men had ties and jackets and slacks. He comforted himself with the thought that at least he wasn’t the only one wearing the wrong clothes, but silently made peace with the fact that this date would probably be a disaster. 

He started to look through the menu and, of course, didn’t understand many of the options. He looked up to ask Dean if he knew what ‘’quenelles de brochet’’ were and stopped when he saw Dean’s face. His eyes were wide and he looked quite nervous. Castiel frowned.

“Dean, are you all right?” 

“Hm? Oh, I’m peachy.” Cas didn’t really believe him but decided not to push. 

“In that case, do you know what quenelles de brochet are? I’ve never heard of this dish. “

It looked like that question had made it worse. “ No, sorry, I don’t. “

“Well, is there anything you would recommend? I’m not very familiar with French cuisine,” Castiel tried to deal with the situation with dignity.  _ Please, please, pick something for me so I don’t have to try to figure this out,  _ he mentally prayed.

“Umm, I’m not sure I could.”

Cas was getting confused. Dean really didn’t look “peachy” and didn’t seem to know the food.  _ Maybe he’s sick?  _

“ Dean, are you sure you’re alright? You look quite uncomfortable. Are you unwell?”

“I’m okay, I’m just…” 

At that moment, the waiter came by. “Good evening. Have you decided what you would like?”

Castiel looked up at the waiter’s cold tone. He noticed him watching them with a sort of disgust in his eyes.  _ Oh God, is he homophobic? Or just judging our clothes?...Probably both. Just what I needed. _

He put on a polite fake smile. “Thank you, but we need a couple more minutes.” 

The waiter quietly left, leaving Cas trying to figure out his date, who was still sitting on the other side of the table looking like he was trapped.

“Dean, really, if you are ill, we can postpone or…”

“Cas, really, it’s not that, I just…” Dean sighed. “I’ve never really been to a place this fancy and I don’t really know how to act and what to order. I’m just really nervous.’’

Castiel was stunned. He was silent for a moment, trying to piece together the confident, fancy French food loving version of Dean he had imagined and the nervous, simple guy he saw right now.  _ I’ve completely misjudged him.  _ He was brought back from his thoughts by Dean’s voice.

‘’I’m really sorry, Cas, I just…’’

‘’Do you wanna get out of here?’’

Dean seemed confused for a second and then a bit sad.

‘’Of course, you don’t wanna stay, I get it, we can just go and I’ll take you back to the dorms,’’ he said, not looking at Cas.

‘’No, I mean, let’s go somewhere else,’’ the boy tried to explain. ‘’Neither of us feel comfortable at a place this fancy and, frankly, the waiter seems a bit rude,’’ at this Dean started smiling, ‘’so I’m thinking we should leave and find someplace better. ...What?’’ Dean was looking at him in a way that made his stomach flutter and want to smile, but he wasn’t sure what the look meant.

‘’Nothin’, you’re just… not what I expected. Let’s get out of here,’’ they got up and started walking towards the door. Upon noticing their waiter coming closer, presumably to ask if they’re leaving (stupid question) and why, they looked at each other and started walking faster, Castiel giggling happily. They only noticed they were holding hands when they were outside. For a moment it was a bit awkward.  _ Is this okay?  _ Cas thought.  _ Is it too soon? I mean, we’ve barely even started this date. Then again, I’ve already kissed him. Maybe he doesn’t like hand holding at all? That would be a shame. I don’t really want to let go. But maybe I should?  _ In his doubt he started to pull his hand away, but then Dean looked at him, smiled and squeezed his hand.  _ Nevermind. _ Castiel squeezed back and looked away, because looking into Dean’s eyes made him want to kiss him again, and he didn’t want this date to be just about that. He cleared his throat.

‘’So, do you have any ideas of where to go?’’ 

‘’I do know a nice spot. But we’ll have to make a stop first.’’

They got in the Impala and drove to the grocery store where they met. Castiel was perplexed with this turn of events.

‘’Dean, what are we doing at the grocery store?’’

‘’Hey, they’re self-explanatory, remember? Just trust me, I have an idea. Now, what kind of snacks do you like?’’

They walked around, picking different foods they liked and asking about the other’s preferences. Castiel felt oddly light while listening to Dean explain why Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups rocked. (While Dean was talking, he slipped a slice of pie into their shopping basket.)

Having gotten all their food and drinks, they climbed back into the car and drove somewhere out of town, old rock music playing in the background, their hands still not leaving each other. Thankfully, Castiel had had a chance to wipe them down before climbing back into the car, because as nice as this was, he would’ve felt much more uncomfortable if Dean had noticed the clamminess. Alas, this was not an issue anymore and he even felt comfortable enough to rub his thumb along his date’s hand on the front seat. 

They arrived at some sort of field not far away from the city, away from the highway. The night sky was clear, so they got the food, sat on Baby’s hood and looked up to the stars. They munched, talking about everything from their professors (‘’How was I even supposed to answer that question??’’)  to their favourite superheroes (‘’Batman is where it’s at, dude.’’ ‘’I refuse to agree with that.’’) to childhood stories (‘’No way! How did he even pull that off?’’ ‘’Gabriel always had a penchant for seemingly impossible pranks. I still have nightmares sometimes.’’). The conversation drifted back to the original date idea at one point:

‘’Why did you even pick such a high-class restaurant for us to go to?’’

‘’Because I’d seen you around campus in your shirt and vest and fancy pants! If you go to classes dressed like that, who knew what you would expect of a date?’’ Dean defended himself with a grin.

Castiel laughed. ‘’Dean, the first time you saw me I was dressed in a hoodie and some jeans.’’

‘’And you look amazing whatever you’re wearing,’’ he winked and a blush appeared under shining blue eyes. ‘’Honestly, I just wanted to impress you and I figured a classy date was the way to go.’’ He shrugged.

Castiel was a bit confused. ‘’Why were you so keen to impress me?’’ 

Dean looked at him. ‘’What do you mean, why? I like you. You’re cute, sweet, smart,...’’

’’But why did you think I was all those things? You barely even knew me when you asked me out.’’

The green-eyed boy was blinking at him silently for a moment. He then turned on his side a bit more and looked at his hands, as if he was a bit embarrassed. 

‘’This is probably gonna sound way too cheesy, especially for a first date, but I wanna tell you, so here goes. You remember, back at the grocery store, when I told you about my little brother, Sammy?’’ When Cas nodded, he continued. ’’Well, I told you I was worried and you said that I was doing good and my support meant a lot to him and I just… I’ve probably heard those exact words before, but I never believed them. Maybe it’s the way everyone says it, with some kind of pity or ...attempted reassurance in their eyes, I don’t know. But the way you said it, just like a simple truth, while grabbing your coffee and whatnot… for some reason, I believed it. At that moment I thought you were someone worth getting to know.’’

Castiel was speechless. He had not been expecting such a confession, yet he was glad he received it. He understood a piece of Dean better now, and what he found made his heart swell.

His date still looked a bit embarrassed, and that simply would not do. The blue eyed boy threaded their fingers together and pushed Dean’s chin up a bit so he could kiss him. He felt the tender moment needed savouring, so he rested his forehead against the other’s after pulling away.

‘’I think you’re someone worth getting to know, too,’’ Cas whispered, because it was a truth he wanted to share with Dean. He sincerely hoped he would believe him.

And maybe he did, because Dean Winchester smiled and cupped Cas’ face to kiss him once again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave a comment - yell at me for procrastinating, tell me that my work is amazing or just say hi! Up to you. Maybe check in every couple of months to see if I've burped out some other works if you liked this one. Thanks for reading!


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